BOULDER — The slow starts Colorado has had in some games this season make it appear its opponents are sprinting out of the blocks in track shoes while the Buffs give chase in flip-flops.

Some ugly numbers: CU has been outscored 64-27 in the first quarter and 130-80 by halftime. In a season-opening 23-17 loss to Colorado State, the Buffs trailed 20-3 at halftime. In a 54-38 loss at Toledo in Week 2, the Buffs were down 30-3 at intermission. In Saturday’s 36-17 loss to Missouri, CU had fallen behind 33-3 at the half.

“Especially last week, guys were tight. And a few guys weren’t jacked up, for whatever reason,” junior wide receiver Scotty McKnight said. “I don’t know what you’ve got to do, but it didn’t seem like there was a big energy before the game.

“We had it the second half, sure. But you have to play this game with passion and energy. We didn’t do that in the first half.”

“We’re trying to get some things going, offensively and defensively, coming out of the tunnel,” Hawkins said. “Hopefully, that will be the case.”

They might need to. In the Aggies’ past two wins — over Iowa State and Texas Tech — they took halftime leads of 21-3 and 28-14, respectively.

CU offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau said the Buffs will throw some new wrinkles at the Aggies.

“Obviously, I can’t say exactly what it is, but it’s something schematic,” he said. “It won’t be anything out of the ordinary. But we just need to jump-start and get things going earlier.”

Of course, to get things right, the Buffs have to figure out what has gone wrong. There are a lot of theories out there. Some Buffs say they are playing too tight, perhaps trying too hard. They say that fires lit on the practice field and in the pregame locker room seem to die out with the sound of the opening whistle.

“People are getting riled up and everything, and Coach Hawk comes in and says something,” senior safety Benjamin Burney said. “Our excitement is there. The team excitement is there. But then there’s the kickoff, and it slowly seems to die down. I’m not really sure what it is. I’m sure Coach Hawk is thinking of different ways he can spice that up.”

But if the Buffs are going to turn things around, their young players have to overcome their stage fright. Some of the players, afraid of making mistakes and ending up back on the bench, simply aren’t playing up to their talent level.

“I think there’s definitely something to that,” Kiesau said. “Kids sometimes want to be perfect, and I understand that. It’s only natural. But we just want them to go out and play football. Go out and have fun, play the game.”

A prime example is sophomore quarterback Tyler Hansen. In his first start this season, he engineered the Buffs’ 34-30 upset victory over Kansas, a game in which CU established a 24-3 lead. Hansen was 14-for-25 for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception. More important, he was confident and in command.

But he has struggled since. Against a relentless Missouri pass rush, Hansen looked lost, committing four turnovers (three fumbles and an interception) and was sacked eight times.

“Tyler played loose against Kansas; he just went out there and threw the football,” Kiesau said. “But since then, he’s been too concerned about making mistakes. I’ve talked to him about that. We have confidence in him.”

CU’s defense has also played with heavy feet in the early going. Missouri outgained the Buffs 306-55 in the first two quarters.

“I think there are a lot of factors involved here, and you have to give those other teams credit for executing against us,” defensive coordinator Ron Collins said.

But like Kiesau, Collins believes the Buffs have played tentatively at times.

“I definitely think there is some of that,” Collins said. “We would like the guys to get out there kind of loose and not be afraid to fail. But sometimes, they are kind of sitting back, waiting for other guys to make plays. That’s been a big emphasis for us this week, making sure that doesn’t happen.”

Three questions for CU

1. Can Colorado players rally around coach Dan Hawkins with an energized victory, or will another dismal performance suggest he already has lost this team? Hawkins said Tuesday during his weekly media luncheon that while other teams might have built on the momentum gained from the Buffs’ Oct. 17 victory over then-No. 17 Kansas, this young Colorado squad seemed to play tight in losses to Kansas State and Missouri. It was as if the Buffs were playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Hawkins said he and his staff have been trying to get players to come out in a “cut it loose” mode. The first quarter will tell.

2. Can the Buffs keep up with the explosive Aggies? That’s going to be a challenge. Believe it or not, Texas A&M, led by junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson, is the only NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision team to rank in the top 25 in all four major offensive statistical categories: total offense (third in NCAA, 490.5), rushing offense (23rd, 191.1), passing offense (12th, 299.4) and scoring offense (eighth, 35.8).